Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Major Problem and a Solution

Well, this morning got off to a seriously rocky start. I started my day with the calendar printer calling my cell phone to let me know that they are closing down on August 31 forever. I have been using this printer since our first calendar in 2004 and they do a wonderful job- so the news was very upsetting. Even more upsetting was that I was now left with finding a good quality printer who can do our job at a reasonable price. The printer did tell me that he would look into finding other printers who can do our calendar. I started researching printers in Massachusetts- there are still some in existence. I particularly wanted a printer who does the work in-house. It is usually cheaper and there is less chance of things getting delayed. I called a couple of printers. One gave me a price which was a little more than I usually pay and another gave a price that is cheaper than what I've been paying. I had a good feeling based on the phone call with the cheaper one- this was before he even came back with his price. I'm going to meet with them this week to show them the calendar so they can see what our finished product looks like (I already gave them all the specs) and to see some samples of their work. If we can get an equally good print job, done in an equally timely fashion and save a few hundred dollars, that would be great. I was so relieved that I found a solution to the problem. Not having a printer, just a few weeks before the calendar is ready to print, is very stressful. It is really sad when small businesses go under. This company had been in business for over 20 years. They used to employee 30 people, then last year it was nine people and this year was only 5 people because business had been slow. They do a great printing job, so it had nothing to do with the quality of their work.

In other news, we got two new bachelorettes signed up for the date auction today- they look like great girls, so I'm happy that they signed up. One of the ladies found out about the event on the BSSC website. It is so important to post the event everywhere, because you never know where people will end up seeing it.

I posted the Date Auction on Boston.Com today. I paid a little more to upgrade the listing so I could add a lot of photos- it really makes a difference. I also spent $30 to upgrade to some extra promotion. You can check out the posting at:

Well, it is almost 1am and I need to write my list and head to bed. Until tomorrow friends...

1 comment:

Chris Vrotsos
said...

Wow Catherine! You are really juggling a ton of work and are a role model for ANYONE to emulate who wants to achieve something in life. You are confronted with the everyday challenges of a business person and handle all of it like the seasoned professional you are. All this while still keeping the passion of helping others in your heart and mind.

Inside Running a Non profit

Have you ever wondered what it is like to run a non profit or any other business? (The similarities between non profits and other for-profit businesses are quite great) My blog is about the daily activities of managing a small, but rapidly growing non profit, an organization which I started and this year will be celebrating its 14th Anniversary. Share the highs, the lows, frustrations, anxieties, challenges and the immense rewards.